You have recently decided (or have already started) to travel a lot to a location better served by a different
airline or hotel card.
If you had earned your points on a co-branded credit card, such as
an airline or hotel card, they would have automatically been credited to the partner loyalty program as you earned them.
Contrast this to
an airline or hotel card which deposits earned miles into the appropriate loyalty program account: when redeeming, you are taking points out but none are going back in.
Bargain travelers and families that base their travel schedules around the school calendar might benefit from a fixed value card or a co-branded
airline or hotel card that offers free checked bags or complimentary hotel nights without paying a steep annual fee.
If you'd asked about a co-branded
airline or hotel card we'd be asking about your demand schedule.
You also may not be able to ditch your co-branded
airline or hotel card for another card by that issuer not tied to the travel partner.
And if you have a co-branded
airline or hotel card, figure out how many miles or points you need for a stay or fly.
But Chase will likely NOT allow you to convert a Chase
airline or hotel card such as the Hyatt or British Airways card to the Freedom Unlimited.
You also may not be able to ditch your co-branded
airline or hotel card for another card by that issuer not tied to the travel partner.
If you choose a co-branded credit card, you'll earn rewards for purchases at the specific
airline or hotel the card is branded with, and you'll be able to redeem your rewards there.
Contrast this to
an airline or hotel card which deposits earned miles into the appropriate loyalty program account: when redeeming, you are taking points out but none are going back in.
Are
airline or hotel cards the smartest choice?
Co-branded
airline or hotel cards will allow you to directly use your miles to redeem award flights or stays through the loyalty program connected to the card.
However, unlike
airline or hotel cards, the banks ask that you do one thing to hang onto those points: hold a credit card with them.
Chase spokeswoman Gail Hurdis says it depends what customers are looking for:
Airline or hotel cards are «best for accelerating their rewards in a loyalty program,» while a bank rewards card «may work better for someone who is looking for more general rewards, such as points or cash back.»
Co-branded
airline or hotel cards will allow you to directly use your miles to redeem award flights or stays through the loyalty program connected to the card.
Not exact matches
The
card earns Membership Rewards points, the currency in Amex's loyalty program, which can be exchanged for statement credits
or cash back, used to book travel through Amex's travel website,
or, to get the most value, transferred to any of 17
airline and three
hotel transfer partners (transferable points are among the best).
The Virgin brand tells you that using this credit
card is rather like using this
airline, which, in turn, is rather like using this health club
or staying in our
hotels.
Seventy - nine percent of travel credit
card holders said they had never transferred credit
card rewards points to an
airline or hotel loyalty program, despite presumably having those rewards points.
The Citi ® Double Cash Credit
Card is not affiliated with one particular
hotel or airline.
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Starwood Preferred Guest, and the Platinum Card from American Express each offer more flexibility than most airline or hotel branded c
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Starwood Preferred Guest, and the Platinum
Card from American Express each offer more flexibility than most
airline or hotel branded
cardscards.
Those Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credit, gift
cards, and Uber credits, but you'll get the most value out of using them to book travel through amextravel.com
or by transferring them to an
airline or hotel partner:
Frequent travelers will want a
card that offers them
airline miles,
hotel points
or other rewards that they can use for free trips.
Besides credit
cards that offer points and cash back credit
cards, there are co-branded credit
cards that give you extra points and other perks for purchasing products offered by the retailer,
airline or the
hotel that sponsors your credit
card.
The last group of rewards
cards are tied to a specific
airline or hotel chain.
You're not restricted to one
airline or hotel, as is the case with co-branded
cards, and unlike with many
cards, there's no minimum amount required to redeem — so you can even use rewards to pay for a $ 5 cab ride.
With these
cards, you earn loyalty points with the
card's
airline or hotel brand.
This means your points can be redeemed for one cent each as cash back, but if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred
or Sapphire
card, you also have the option to transfer your points to
airline and
hotel partners.
There are also all around rewards
cards that offer miles that can be transferred to
airline or hotel programs,
or used to book travel directly through the
card issuer's site.
Unlike
cards tied to a specific
airline or hotel brand, you can use the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card's rewards in many places.
Some
cards allow you to earn rewards toward a specific
hotel or airline, and other
cards earn rewards that can be used toward any travel expense.
You could come close to that rewards levels with many other
cards, but only if you spent on specific categories,
or by using the rewards at a particular chain of
airlines or hotels.
Travel rewards
cards have no specific travel affiliate like an
airline or hotel partner.
Co-branded travel rewards
cards are linked to a particular
airline or hotel brand, and you're awarded loyalty points to redeem with that brand.
With the Chase
card, I have to book an expensive
airline or call to get a budget
airline,
hotel options are limited, and I can't use Amtrak.
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit
card issuer,
airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved
or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
The rewards you earn with the Starwood
card are only good whenever you redeem them for
hotel stays
or transfer them to
airline miles.
Co-branded
cards are linked to a specific
airline or hotel brand and you earn loyalty points to redeem with that brand.
American Express Gold
Card users can use their points to shop (both through online vendors and Amazon), buy gift
cards, pay off a charge on your bill, book flights and
hotels, pay for Uber rides, and transfer points for
airline frequent flyer miles
or hotel points.
Experienced players of the rewards program game often do best by combining travel at a single
hotel or airline with everyday use of its co-branded credit
card.
This
card is not affiliated with any one particular
airline,
hotel,
or cruise line.
The
cards can come in many different varieties whether its
airlines,
hotels, cash back
or business.
Points
or miles you earn with a regular rewards credit
card largely don't expire, but they can be lost on co-branded
hotel and
airlines... Read More
However, if you're planning on using the Chase Freedom Unlimited ® in combination with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
card you can get great returns by transferring your rewards and redeeming them for travel through Chase
or its
airline and
hotel partners.
With this
card on its own, you can not transfer the points to any
airline or hotel.
For example, 10,000 miles on your credit
card may result in 8000 miles once it's been converted to the
airline or hotel loyalty program you've selected.
However, if you use it alongside the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®, you can pool your rewards together and transfer them to
airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
When you apply for either a personal
or a business credit
card that's co-branded with an
airline or hotel, you will be asked for your loyalty program number.
A simple example is a
hotel chain,
airline,
or credit
card reward system, where points earned offer customers perks like free rooms, flights,
or upgrades,
or other amenities.
The partnership with Koinz Media is a savvy one because the company specializes in the platform to safely and securely purchase any type of digital good
or service with their credit
card or hotel reward points and
airline miles.